A meeting on guns and violence has kicked off in Washington today. The Internal Revenue Service has announced that they will start processing tax returns for the majority of filers on Jan. 30 — a bit later than normal, thanks to the fiscal cliff. Scott Tong speaks to those who have been affected by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Freakonomics Radio’s Stephen Dubner talks about why Nobel laureates, Oscar winners and baseball Hall of Famers seem to live longer than their peers. Dieters are taking to social networking, fitness-tracking devices and health apps on smartphones to try and stay the course. And commentator Robert Reich explains why he thinks it’s time to break up the big banks.

After being bailed out by the government in 2008, AIG is considering suing the U.S. government over the terms of the bailout. With more and more movies being filmed outside of Hollywood, businesses that once solely depended on the L.A. movie industry have to find new ways to make money. The battle between austerity and stimulus is being hashed out by Britain’s coalition government. Retail pharmacies are using the flu vaccine to make big bucks. Low-wage warehouse workers are suing Walmart for wage theft, even though they don’t directly work for the retailer. And coin designer Garrett Burke talks about his concept for a proposed trillion-dollar coin.

Bank of America has reached a $10 billion loan settlement with Fannie Mae. Disney Parks and Resorts will begin to issue “MagicBands” to visitors, which will replace things like room keys and tickets and will track the movement and behavior of guests. A new smartphone is hitting the market — it’s called Ray and is designed for the blind. NASA is looking to lease its old shuttle facilities. In the late night TV show wars, Jimmy Kimmel and Jay Leno will start their shows one minute apart. So what’s the value of starting a show a minute or two before the competitor? Meanwhile, commentator Beth Teitell says spoiler-free TV is getting harder to find.

The FDA has released their new rules for food safety. Some people are promoting the idea of minting a trillion-dollar coin to prevent hitting the debt ceiling. The Wealthy & Poverty asks people who make $250,000 or more if they consider themselves rich. Freelance workers are looking more and more attractive to companies that want to save money. Author and Geomagic CEO Ping Fu talks about her youth in communist China and her adulthood as a tech entrepreneur. And David Gura reports the number of guns owned by Americans is rising, even though the percentage of people who own guns is falling.

The Federal Trade Commission announced that Google has agreed to allow competitors access to patents on technologies needed to make devices like smartphones, laptops and tablets. Family Dollar lowered its profit outlook for this year. Your disposed Christmas tree may be part of a new sand dune or riverbed. Jeff Speck talks about his new book “Walkable City,” which takes a look at Americans’ desire for cities where you can get around without cars. And Scott Tong reviews the movie “Promised Land,” which is about a drilling company that wants to use hydraulic fracturing in a rural Pennsylvania town.

The fiscal cliff has been averted, but the payroll tax cut still expired — how might this affect your paycheck? As people begin to work on their New Year’s resolutions, we explore the “gym-conomy.” By one estimate, Hispanic consumers contribute more than a trillion dollars to our economy, with Latina shoppers being the most savvy about their buying. Sarah Gardner talks to the Atlantic’s Jesse Eisinger about his behind-the-scenes article on banking in America. And in the latest “BURN: An Energy Journal” piece, Alex Chadwick looks at what life’s like for the scientist trying to invent a whole new type of battery.

It’s a new year, but there’s still drama surrounding the old fiscal cliff. What’s holding up a deal in the House? And how does Britain feel about the entire ordeal? Plus, some advice for our Congress from fed-up New Yorkers and austerity-worn Greeks. With a new year comes new resolutions. If your pledge was to get in shape, take a listen to our story on personal trainers. We also explore a plan to protect Manhattan from flooding and Oscar voting. Here’s to a great 2013!

The fiscal cliff deadline is tonight — we go over what will and will not happen if a deal isn’t reached by midnight. We look at whether earmarks are to blame. Sarah Gardner talks to an unemployed steelworker about what happens to him if unemployment benefits expire on Jan. 1st. The Pentagon is preparing to notify its entire civilian workforce about furloughs they will encounter if the U.S. goes over the fiscal cliff. Meanwhile, getting consumers to “go green” has proven harder than marketers anticipated. And FEMA is still trying to figure out which damaged or destroyed properties to buy from Hurricane Irene.

If there’s no deal made by Dec. 31st regarding the fiscal cliff, many of the Bush-era tax cuts will expire, including the death tax. We also look at what the impact of the fiscal cliff could mean for Wall Street. All the talk surrounding the possible port strike this week got us wondering aboout what a longshoreman does. Unilever has announced that it will remove tiny plastic beads from its soap products by 2015. Stephen Beard goes over the underlying themes of this past year in European economics, politics and culture. And David Gura takes a look at music and the economy in 2012.